The present invention relates to a feedback control of a hot and/or cold rolling process by means of a process control system, which executes a predetermined rolling program containing the initial and final dimensions, material data, roll temperatures, etc., and has a master system for controlling the setpoint values of subordinate, preferably decoupled, individual control units for the variable functional variables of the individual roll stands, e.g. rolling force, rotational speed, screw-down position [setting], etc. The setpoint values of the control units are determined in a computational operation using model equations, in which prepared and statistically processed measured values of the process variables are substituted, with a converging absolute adaptation of parameters to the actual parameters.
Control systems for hot and/or cold rolling processes, which work with single closed-loop control circuits and parameter adaptation of the model equations to determine the setpoint values of the control units are generally known and are described, for example, in the non-prepublished German Patent Application 40 40 360.2. These types of control systems work most satisfactorily in continuously running rolling processes. What is disadvantageous, however, is that in the event that the requirements change, the time for achieving the new operating state is relatively long. This means that several strips, or the like, could possibly be rolled with faulty dimensions or incorrect temperatures before the new operating state is reached. The reason for this is that the known control system carries out the parameter adaptation with learning steps, i.e., step by step.